Council (again) delays, seeks to amend new taxi rules

Houston City Council again on Wednesday delayed new regulations governing taxis and other vehicles for hire that would allow smartphone app companies Uber and Lyft to operate legally in Houston.

The delay was expected, as the item was returning to the agenda after a hiatus during which council members Larry Green and Brenda Stardig were tasked with facilitating a mediation of sorts among the major players. The two-day talks in mid-July led to amendments from council members, which were delayed for further study, along with the main ordinance itself, for another week.

One development to come out of the talks was agreement on new provisions related to wheelchair-accessible vehicles. My colleague Dug Begley wrote about that here, and you can see much of that language in the adopting ordinance for the proposed regulations here.

All those involved said the mediation went well, but all also agreed little consensus was found. Mayor Annise Parker, who has made no secret of her desire to get rid of this transportation issue and move on to other things, had predicted as much when council last delayed the item in early June.

Of the 17 pages of amendments submitted on Wednesday (you can read them here), some seek to beef up the new provisions on wheelchair access; others target insurance, requiring around-the-clock coverage for Uber and Lyft drivers and clarifying that these drivers must operate using their phone apps, not illegally hailing rides and accepting rides via their personal cell phones (officials say doing so would mean any wrecks or injuries would not be covered); another would require cars working for the app companies to submit for ad valorem taxation, as cabs do.

Of the volume of amendments, Councilman Dave Martin thanked his colleagues for “doing the city’s own version of the affordable healthcare act.”

Councilman Mike Laster, who has sided with the taxis throughout the debate, said he is concerned the amendments are a surprise to some.

“It was of some concern to us about 30 days ago or so that this thing was not completely baked,” he said. “I know that there are stakeholders as of yesterday afternoon that didn’t know what the substitute amendment was. I’m very concerned they may be caught off guard.”

Mayor Annise Parker responded, “It’s not a process where we’re trying to sneak up on anybody.”

Said Green: “There was something in the ordinance for everyone… We all don’t agree, but I think we’ve probably come up with a pretty good ordinance.”

For a complete redline version of the new regulations (without the proposed amendments linked above), click here.

In other action Wednesday, the City Council:
+ Approved a $10 million payment to Metro, previously delayed, that will enable the transit agency to add two lanes of traffic to a controversial light rail overpass it plans for its Green Line along Harrisburg in the East End. The agency had planned to build an underpass to avoid freight rail tracks along the route before discovering worse-than-expected soil contamination earlier this year.
+ Approved a $5 million settlement with the families of two brain-damaged men who were severely injured when a stolen constable’s vehicle crashed into their car after a high-speed chase in which Houston police were involved.
+ Delayed an unusual sale of city property along Allen Parkway to a buyer other than the high bidder. The complex transaction, dating back four years, could net Houston more than $22 million.
+ Delayed the creation of a Stadium Park Redevelopment Authority, an appointed board that would seek donations to bankroll beautification projects, such as new signs and landscaping, around NRG Stadium, the site of the 2017 Super Bowl.